POLICE involved in the fatal shooting of a sword-wielding schiz?ophrenic in a Liverpool street escaped punishment today.

An independent investigation said the two officers and a support worker should not face disciplinary action, against the advice of an external police inquiry, because the death happened too long ago.

Today's report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission ends four years of investigations into the shooting of Andrew Kernan.

Police shot Mr Kernan dead after he ran out of his home in Wellington Grove, Wavertree, waving a samurai sword on July 12, 2001. A jury at Liverpool coroner's court last year returned a verdict of lawful killing.

An investigation by officers from Greater Manchester police concluded that the four firearms officers should not be disciplined and that "minor" disciplinary action should be taken against one member of police staff and two other police officers.

Assistant chief constable Stuart Kernohan said: "We hope that today's comments by the IPCC commissioner provides our officers with the reassurance that they acted courageously on July 12, and their actions were entirely appropriate."

"The officers involved in this case were presented with a rapidly evolving scenario.

"Firearms officers at the scene acted bravely and the investigation has found no evidence that their actions fell below that required or expected of them."

"The investigation did identify concerns over Merseyside Police's operational management of the incident and the supervision of staff and officers but I am satisfied the force has made changes to its command and control procedures since the shooting which address the concerns identified in the investigation. "I hope that the formal conclusion of this case will in some small way help Andrew's family to come to terms with their loss."